Researchers are increasingly branching out from their old focus on Aβ and tau to understand how these proteins intersect with physiological processes and new genetic regulatory mechanisms in the aging brain.

The overused adage of the fountain of youth rears its head again, as four new studies show how young blood rejuvenates old brain and muscle, pumping up the vasculature, stem cells, and restoring microglia’s appetite for waste products. Researcher are isolating the responsible factors, for example GDF11.

Do blood components really leak across an inflamed blood-brain barrier early on in the development of Alzheimer’s disease? Some GWAS hits and budding neuro-imaging and fluid markers are helping researchers find out.